Fiber orientation in injection molding with rotating flow

The development of fiber orientation in injection molding was manipulated by a special molding tool, the RCEM mold, which imposes a rotation action by one of the cavity surfaces during the filling stage. Center‐gated disc moldings were produced from glass fiber reinforced polypropylene with different cavity rotation velocities, inducing distinct distributions and levels of fiber orientation. The morphologies of the moldings were characterized by optical and electronic microscopy. The through‐thickness profiles of fiber orientation were assessed by means of the orientation tensor, and the relationship between the processing thermo‐mechanical environment and the fiber orientation was established. At high rotation velocities, the resulting fiber orientation pattern is mainly controlled by the rotational motion, inducing a much more homogeneous through‐the‐thickness fiber orientation distribution, with a preferential alignment on the circumferential direction. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2008. © 2007 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Numerical prediction of fiber orientation in injection molding

We develop a numerical method for calculating fiber orientation in the midsurface of a molded part of small thickness. Two-dimensional fiber orientation is predicted on the basis of either Jeffery's equation or a constitutive equation for the orientation tensor. The calculation is fully transient; it is performed on a time-dependent flow domain. The method is based on finite elements. Updated finite element meshes are generated at every instant of filling and allow one to perform an accurate calculation of the orientation even along the boundary of the flow domain. The method is applied to several examples in plane and three-dimensional geometries.     

Numerical simulation of fiber orientation in injection molding of short-fiber-reinforced thermoplastics

The present study develops a numerical simulation program to predict the transient behavior of fiber orientations together with a mold filling simulation for short-fiber-reinforced thermoplastics in arbitrary three-dimensional injection mold cavities. The Dinh-Armstrong model including an additional stress due to the existence of fibers is incorporated into the Hele-Shaw equation to result in a new pressure equation governing the filling process. The mold filling simulation is performed by solving the new pressure equation and energy equation via a finite element/finite difference method as well as evolution equations for the second-order orientation tensor via the fourth-order Runge-Kutta method. The fiber orientation tensor is determined at every layer of each element across the thickness of molded parts with appropriate tensor transformations for arbitrary three-dimensional cavity space.     

Prediction of fiber orientation in the injection molding of long fiber suspensions

The properties of long glass fiber reinforced parts are highly dependent on the fiber orientation generated during processing. In this research, the orientation of concentrated long glass fibers generated during the filling stage of a center‐gated disk (CGD) mold was simulated. The orientation of the fibers was calculated using both the Folgar‐Tucker model and a recently developed semiflexible Bead‐Rod model. Rheologically consistent model parameters were used in these simulations, as determined from a previously proposed method, using a sliding plate rheometer and newly modified stress theory. The predicted CGD orientations were compared with experimentally measured values obtained from the parts. Both models performed very well when using model parameters consistent with the independent rheological study, and the results provide encouragement for the proposed method. Comparatively, the Folgar‐Tucker model provided slightly better orientation predictions up to 20% of the fill radius, but above 20% the Bead‐Rod model predicted better values of the orientation in both the radial and circumferential directions. The Folgar‐Tucker model, however, provided better orientation values perpendicular to the flow direction. Lastly, both models only qualitatively represented the orientation above 70% of the fill radius where frontal flow effects were suspected to be non‐negligible. The uniqueness of this research rests on a method for obtaining model parameters needed to predict fiber orientation which are independent of the experiments being simulated and a method for handling long semiflexible fiber suspensions. POLYM. COMPOS., 2012. © 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Molecular orientation distributions during injection molding of liquid crystalline polymers: Ex situ investigation of partially filled moldings

The development of molecular orientation in thermotropic liquid crystalline polymers (TLCPs) during injection molding has been investigated using two‐dimensional wide‐angle X‐ray scattering coordinated with numerical computations employing the Larson–Doi polydomain model. Orientation distributions were measured in “short shot” moldings to characterize structural evolution prior to completion of mold filling, in both thin and thick rectangular plaques. Distinct orientation patterns are observed near the filling front. In particular, strong extension at the melt front results in nearly transverse molecular alignment. Far away from the flow front shear competes with extension to produce complex spatial distributions of orientation. The relative influence of shear is stronger in the thin plaque, producing orientation along the filling direction. Exploiting an analogy between the Larson–Doi model and a fiber orientation model, we test the ability of process simulation tools to predict TLCP orientation distributions during molding. Substantial discrepancies between model predictions and experimental measurements are found near the flow front in partially filled short shots, attributed to the limits of the Hele–Shaw approximation used in the computations. Much of the flow front effect is however “washed out” by subsequent shear flow as mold filling progresses, leading to improved agreement between experiment and corresponding numerical predictions. POLYM. ENG. SCI.,, 2011. © 2011 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Fiber orientation in divergent/convergent flows in expansion and compression injection molding

This study compares the fiber orientation patterns of short glass fiber‐reinforced polypropylene developed in conventional and nonconventional injection molding, the latter using a special mold, RCEM (rotation, compression, and expansion mold). This mold allows for a wide variety of operating modes during mold filling, which leads to a great versatility in obtaining different fiber orientation patterns. By incorporating through‐thickness convergent and divergent flows during the filling stage (compression and expansion modes, respectively), the fiber orientation can be tailored. These linear dynamics can be superimposed with a simultaneous rotational movement of one of the mold surfaces. These combined actions induce a high fiber orientation transversely to the radial flow direction, this effect being more pronounced in the expansion mode. POLYM. COMPOS. 27:539–551, 2006. © 2006 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Description and modeling of fiber orientation in injection molding of fiber reinforced thermoplastics

As mechanical properties of short fiber reinforced thermoplastic injected components depend on flow induced fiber orientation, there is considerable interest in validating and improving models which link the flow field and fiber orientations to mechanical properties. The present paper concerns firstly the observation and quantification of fiber orientation in a rectangular plaque with adjustable thickness and molded with 30 and 50 wt% short fiber reinforced polyarylamide. An automated 2D optical technique has been used to determine fiber orientations. A classical skin (with orientation parallel to the flow)-core (with orientation perpendicular) structure is observed for thick plaques (thickness greater than 3 mm) but the core region is fragmentary for thickness less than 1.7 mm. It is shown that the gate design and different levels of fiber interactions, due to different fiber concentrations, are responsible for these observations. Secondly, computer simulations of flow and fiber orientation are shown. The agreement with the actual data is good, except in the case of the core for thin plaques. The limitations that have to be resolved come not only from the standard fiber orientation equations, but also from the flow kinematics computation.     

Boundary element study on particle orientation caused by the fountain flow in injection molding

A boundary element model is used for simulating the fountain flow in injection molding. The particle orientation caused by the fountain effect is illustrated with a tracer-in-domain technique which is similar to the Marker-And-Cell technique. The efficiency and accuracy of the boundary element model are shown through this simulation, in determination of the free surface shape, and the particle orientation patterns. Clear and correct information is obtained to interpret the complicated effects upon formation of the orientation, especially regarding the “V” shape pattern in the skin areas. The simulation is in agreement with both Schmidt's experiment and some finite element analysis.     

Buildup and relaxation of molecular orientation in injection molding. Part I: Formulation

A numerical simulation model for the analysis of the buildup and, the relaxation of molecular orientation in injection-molded products has been developed. The constitutive equations of the material are described using an extended version of the viscoelastic material model developed by Leonov. The volumetric responses are described using two different equations of state, the Tait equation and an equation developed by Spencer and Gilmore. A WLF-type of equation is used for the temperature and pressure dependence. Stresses calculated with the model are coupled to birefringence by means of the stress-optical rule. Birefringence, in turn, is used to characterize the molecular orientation. The model is used to investigate the influence of the processing conditions, the mold elasticity, and the pressure dependence of the material functions on the pressure and birefringence profiles. The material data used are for polystyrene, PS 678E, and are determined experimentally.     

Glass fiber-filled thermoplastics. II. Cavity filling and fiber orientation in injection molding

Mold filling of a rectangular cavity of three different thick nesses fed from a reservoir is studied for unfilled and glass fiber-filled polypropylene and polystyrene. The shapes of flow fronts studied by short-shots are affected predominantly by the thickness of the cavity with other parameters playing a less important role. Pressure drop versus volumetric flow rate inside the thinnest cavity is studied experimentally and predictions are made from a computer simulation of mold filling. The orientation of fibers in the cavity is examined using a reflect-type microscope and the orientation is found to depend on cavity thickness, melt temperature, fiber content, and to a lesser extent, on volumetric flow rate. In the thinnest cavity, where the flow is quasi-unidirectional, the fibers remain in the plane of flow oriented either along the flow direction or perpendicular to it, except in the region near the flow front, where they follow a “fountain” flow behavior.     

MuCell微发泡注塑成型技术应用

MuCell微发泡注塑成型技术的使用日趋普及,其制品主要集中在品质要求较高、材料较贵的产品上。近年来,选用微发泡注塑成型技术的中国企业数目快速增长,其应用领域也正在扩大。     

Screw design in injection molding

The performance of screws of advanced design in injection molding has been investigated with respect to four different objectives: (1) improvement of distributive mixing; (2) improvement of dispersive mixing; (3) increase of plasticating capacity; and (4) reduction of inhomogeneity of melt temperature. The screws used are three zone screws with different compression ratios, screws with pineapple or Maddock/Egan mixing elements, with one or two channel barrier sections, with static mixers mounted in the valve or in the nozzle, or with combinations of these different elements. The best mixing quality is obtained with multi-channel Maddock sections. The highest plasticating capacity and, consequently, the shortest cycle times are achieved with the barrier screws. Temperature measurements show that these screws improve melt homogeneity considerably with a relatively small loss of plasticating time. In all cases, increasing the back pressure gives inferior results compared with improvement of the screw design.     

Pressure-Induced densification in injection molding

The effect of pressure on the densification of amorphous polymers in the Injection-molding process is examined. Density distributions in molded polystyrene slabs were measured for several well-defined molding histories. In all cases the density of the molded part was spatially inhomogeneous, and its distribution in the slab was closely related to the pressure and temperature histories that prevailed in the molding cavity during the process cycle. The density profile in the gapwise direction followed a characteristic “parabolic” pattern with a minimum at the midplane of the slab. A simple phenomenological model, based on the pressure-induced densification effect, was constructed to explain the observed density profiles, and close agreement with experimental data was found. Annealing of the molded article at a high temperature (<T_g) caused the density to decrease overall and become more uniform across the part. This is generally consistent with volume-recovery data for the densified material, which were generated independently in a controlled pressure-densification experiment.     

Numerical simulation of three‐dimensional fiber orientation in injection molding including fountain flow effect

It is essential to predict the nature of flow field inside mold and flow‐induced variation of fiber orientation for effective design of short fiber reinforced plastic parts. In this investigation, numerical simulations of flow field and three‐dimensional fiber orientation were carried out in special consideration of fountain flow effect. Fiber orientation distribution was described using the second‐order orientation tensor. Fiber interaction was modeled using the interaction coefficient C_I. Three closure approximations, hybrid, modified hybrid, and closure equation for C_I=0, were selected for determination of the fiber orientation. The fiber orientation routine was incorporated into a previously developed program of injection mold filling (CAMPmold), which was based on the fixed‐grid finite element/finite difference method assuming the Hele‐Shaw flow. For consideration of the fountain flow effect, simplified deformation behavior of fountain flow was employed to obtain the initial condition for fiber orientation in the flow front region. Comparisons with experimental results available in the literature were made for film‐gated strip and centergated disk cavities. It was found that the orientation components near the wall were were accurately predicted by considering the fountain flow effect. Test simulations were also carried out for the filling analysis of a practical part, and it was shown that the currently developed numerical algorithm can be effectively used for the prediction of fiber orientation distribution in complex parts.     

Effect of packing pressure on fiber orientation in injection molding of fiber‐reinforced thermoplastics

Injection molding of fiber‐reinforced polymeric composites is increasing with demands of geometrically complex products possessing superior mechanical properties of high specific strength, high specific stiffness, and high impact resistance. Complex state of fiber orientation exists in injection molding of short fiber reinforced polymers. The orientation of fibers vary significantly across the thickness of injection‐molded part and can become a key feature of the finished product. Improving the mechanical properties of molded parts by managing the orientation of fibers during the process of injection molding is the basic motivation of this study. As a first step in this direction, the present results reveal the importance of packing pressure in orienting the fibers. In this study, the effects of pressure distribution and viscosity of a compressible polymeric composite melt on the state of fiber orientation after complete filling of a cavity is considered experimentally and compared with the simulation results of Moldflow analysis. POLYM. COMPOS. 28:214–223, 2007. © 2007 Society of Plastics Engineers     

橡胶注射成型机注射装置结构分析研究

主要介绍了橡胶注射成型机及其注射装置的发展情况,阐述了橡胶注射成型的特点以及注射装置设计要求,并对三种常用的注射装置的结构特点及应用作系统的分析比较.     

一步法注射成型机

简述了注射成型法与模压成型法相比所具有的诸多优点，同时指出了传统注射成型方法所存在的问题。着重介绍了一步法注射成型技术及其设备的结构特点、工作原理及工作特性。     

新型注塑成型工艺

介绍了在传统注射成型工艺的基础上逐渐发展起来的几种新型注射成型工艺。气体辅助注射成型、多层共注成型和气体辅助多层共注成型、并对其进行了较详细的描述。